Some California Mosquitoes Can Carry Zika Virus

FRIDAY, June 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Aedes mosquitoes in California can spread the Zika virus, according to a study published online June 21 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Laboratory studies have shown that several species of Aedes mosquitoes can transmit Zika, but whether the same species in different regions could spread the virus was unclear. In this new study, researchers infected California Aedes aegypti, Culex tarsalis, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes with three different strains of Zika. One was from a 2015 Puerto Rico outbreak, one from a 2015 Brazil outbreak, and the third was from a 1966 Malaysian outbreak.

The mosquitoes fed on mice infected with the Zika strains and were later assessed to determine if they could transmit the virus. The researchers did not detect Zika in the saliva of either Culex mosquito species 14 and 21 days after infection. However, 85 to 90 percent of the Aedes mosquitoes had evidence of Zika in their saliva, and rates were similar for all three strains.

"Understanding the mosquito species that vector [Zika] is important for estimating regional outbreak potential and for informing local mosquito control strategies," study authors Lark Coffey and Chris Barker, from the University of California, Davis, said in a statement. "Vector control efforts targeting [Zika] should remain focused on reducing urban Aedes populations."